Linton speaks on preschool efforts at Cloverdale Schools

CLOVERDALE — Picking back up discussion held last month, efforts to ramp up a preschool program at Cloverdale Elementary School are coming to fruition.

Supt. Greg Linton briefly detailed at the Cloverdale School Board’s regular meeting Monday evening that a Pre-Clover program for three-year-olds is to be set up this year. This is on the heels of a recent round-up that saw many more students enroll than was expected.

A new pre-K program for four-year-olds is also to be established in conjunction with the regular kindergarten. Details on both programs were provided by Cloverdale Elementary Principal Mary Jane Elkins at the board’s meeting last month.

“I’d just like to say that I appreciate the board’s support and contributing the finances that we’ll need to be able to operate both of those programs, at very reasonable cost to our parents,” Linton said.

Hopeful that more students will be enrolled between now and August, Linton said there is “plenty of space” in these classrooms. “It’d be a good day if we had to hire more teachers,” he added.

For her part, Board President Vivian Whitaker iterated the point of there being no caps on the number of students. She encouraged parents interested in either program to contact Elkins.

“We’re looking at doing it the right way, with the right staffing and the right numbers,” Whitaker said. “The sooner we get started, the better.”

In other business:

• The board gave its blessing for Linton to publicize an upcoming hearing for a bond issue for renovations and equipment purchases. The hearing is to be held at the board’s next regular meeting.

• The board approved an agreement with the Cloverdale Youth League with regard to facility use and personnel.

• The board approved a resolution to transfer up to $1,852,000 from the Operations Fund to the Education Fund. Linton explained that the transfer was based on the corporation having more revenue than predicted for the 2023 budget, owing to corresponding growth with its online school.

• The board approved for two-to-three teachers to teach the Plato online summer school program at Cloverdale High School.

The board also recognized Cloverdale Schools’ Students of the Month: Margaret Peterson (Cloverdale Elementary School), Anjelina Dover (Cloverdale Middle School) and Levi Hilton (Cloverdale High School).

The board in turn recognized Teachers of the Month with Angie Ranard (Cloverdale Elementary School), Kim Bailey (Cloverdale Middle School) and Andy Tyler (Cloverdale High School).

The board also approved the following personnel report:

• Resignations: Elizabeth Lucas - special education teacher; and Mandy Evans - home-to-school adviser; and

• Retirement: Dawn Tucker - Cloverdale Middle School principal.

“I can’t really say enough about the years that Dawn and I have had to work together in her position as principal,” Linton commented. “At the end of the day, Dawn always wanted to do what was best for kids.”

Board members Mike Rightmyer and Emily Haltom were absent at the meeting.

The next regular meeting of the Cloverdale School Board is set for Monday, May 8 at 7 p.m. in the Arthur L. Johnson Administration Office near Cloverdale High School.